


Something Just Like This

by waitingforaflame



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: +the years that come after, Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Jade and Will/Roy in the five year timeskip, Mature for discussions of violence, Some Humor, Some Plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:01:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27095485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waitingforaflame/pseuds/waitingforaflame
Summary: Roy uses Jade to find Speedy. Jade uses Roy because it's fun. At some point, it becomes something more.--Roy and Jade in the five year timeskip, and the years that follow.
Relationships: Roy Harper/Jade Nguyen
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Something Just Like This

**Author's Note:**

> Since nobody has written what these two were up to before Invasion, I took matters into my own hands. This is my interpretation of their adventures, and I'll attempt to keep it as canon as possible. While I am a slave to canon, fair warning that all I have to go on is a handful of journal entries and about... idk, like 15 minutes of screentime, so I'll be taking a little artistic liberty. Also, thank you to the lovely YJFanVids for betaing <3
> 
> (When I can, I'll be implementing Roy's canon journals from YJL to help with the timeline. All credit for that goes to Greg and Brandon, I do not own it in the least.)
> 
> Enjoy!

_Athens_ _  
_ _December 24th, 23:37 EET_

* * *

Roy doesn’t understand why she keeps doing this. 

He aims an arrow at Cheshire’s chest, arms tight, eyes narrowed. The assassin cocks her head to the side. She loosely holds a sai in one hand, teasing him. Despite the arrow pointed at her, she clearly doesn’t see him as much of a threat. By now, Roy knows better than to underestimate her. 

“No present for me, Arrow?” Cheshire begins, defaulting into her usual banter. “And on our first Christmas together. I’m hurt.” 

A sigh lodges in the back of Roy’s throat, and he fights against the urge to release it. He can’t possibly fathom Cheshire’s inane logic that the two of them are in some kind of relationship. It’s always the same. She’ll tease him, make some snide remark about how lackluster their ‘dates’ are getting. They’ll combat. Cheshire will find some way to press herself against him and then just when his mind begins to question what’s happening, she’ll threaten to blow his cover and he’ll have to retreat. 

It’s getting pretty tiring. 

Part of him wants to respond to her. Shoot back an equally dry comment, if only to get a reaction. Another part of him, a much smaller, less logical part, wants to give in to her advances. Must be as a result of the clone programming. Less logical reasoning, or something. For now, he’s able to restrain both urges and remains on the defense, ready for another round of keep-away. Maybe this time, he’ll win. 

It took Roy far too long to scope out this Lexcorp subsidiary to give up without a decent fight. He only needs a quick look at the place. If luck is on his side tonight, he’ll be able to take care of Cheshire, sneak in, and if all works well, he’ll have the real Roy back home in time for a very late Christmas dinner. 

Then again, luck so rarely works out in his favor.

Cheshire slinks closer, using his stiffness to her advantage. In some ways, she’s his perfect foil. Always moving, fluid, and quick with her mouth. She lacks his restraint, the hard-earned tension that drives him, and for some reason it drives him up a wall. 

Roy pulls his arrow tauter, but doesn’t make any sudden movements. “Not tonight, Cheshire.” 

“Ooh. Someone’s getting cocky.” 

She twirls the sai around her fingers, ignoring his arrow and slipping around him. Her arm brushes his, light and quick. Then she sidles up next to him, inches away. Roy holds his breath, forcing himself to stay focused on the mission. He can’t let her distract him. Not this time. 

Roy lowers his bow, feigning defeat. Then, before Cheshire can move, he lets the arrow loose by her feet, forcing her to jump backwards. He nocks another arrow in a matter of seconds and uses it to deflect the shuriken she sends whizzing his way. 

Something is different about their combat tonight. Maybe it’s him. He’s angrier, tired of Cheshire’s interference. While her movements remain playful, nimble, his are rough, with a little more sharpness than need be. At one point, he notices an opening when she’s reaching for a weapon and attacks her directly, pinning her to the ground with his bow. 

“Enough of this,” he growls, breathing hard. “Why are you here?” 

Cheshire laughs. It’s a mocking, sultry kind of laughter that sends shivers down his spine. 

“Didn’t realize you were such a Scrooge. Where’s your holiday spirit?” 

In one swift movement, Cheshire locks her leg around his thigh and flips them around so she’s on top. Before Roy can shove her off, she presses another sai to his neck. Any sudden movements and he’s a goner. 

With her other hand, Cheshire drags a gloved fingernail down his jaw. “What a shame. And after I came all this way to see you, too.” 

Roy scowls, trying to ignore his racing heartbeat at Cheshire’s touch. Her games, while unwarranted and certainly unwanted, ignite a feeling in him that he hasn’t felt in a long time. Longing. Albeit mixed with disgust and confusion, but it’s definitely longing. One of these days, she might actually break him enough that he gives in. 

Of course, the moment he thinks the thought, he shoves it far, _far_ into the back of his mind. He isn’t thinking straight; must be the exhaustion. 

“Why do you keep doing this?” he asks, more genuine than he means to sound. 

Cheshire’s eyes crinkle under her mask, amused. Clearly, she enjoys confusing him. “And what is it that you think I’m doing?”

To be fair, even Roy isn’t exactly sure. He’s been careful to operate on the sly, but there’s a possibility that the Shadows have figured out his game plan and have sent Cheshire here to kill him. Against his better judgement, he bites. “If you’re here to kill me, then get it over with.” 

Cheshire doesn’t move. Her fingers remain on his jaw, holding it taught. “Do you really think I’m here to kill you?” With her other hand, she pulls the sai away and twirls it around her fingers. “Be reasonable, now.”

She’s right. If her job was to kill him, he would have been dead weeks ago. There would be a whole slew of Shadows here with her, fighting to take him out. 

It occurs to Roy that with the sai off his neck, Cheshire has left him an opportunity to escape. Interesting. Either she’s really just toying with him, or she expects him to attack and is prepared with a countermove that will leave him with bruises for weeks. Given how battered he already is, he remains still, pretending he hasn’t noticed. 

“So, you’re not here to kill me,” Roy deadpans. 

“Correct.”

“But you also won’t tell me why you’re here.” 

“You catch on quick, Loverboy.” 

Roy’s watch beeps. Shit. He missed the guard change. A solid week of stakeout and learning the shift schedules is now completely wasted, thanks to Cheshire’s little interruption. Given that the schedules change by the week, he’s now completely lost his opportunity. Speedy wouldn’t be coming home tonight.

Screw the bruises. 

He jerks his head forward hard, crashing against Cheshire’s. It hurts, a _lot_ , but it startles her just long enough for Roy to regain control. Using his arms, he flips them once again, disarms her, and then pins her neck to the ground with his forearm.

Cheshire stiffens, just for a moment. Then she relaxes under his hold. “Wow. If you wanted to be on top, you only had to ask.”

Roy barely has a chance to register her words before she knees him in the gut. He should have braced himself against the blow, but he stupidly flinches. Cheshire uses it to her advantage and wrestles her elbow free so she can elbow him deep under his ribcage. The attacks came so swiftly and in such ferocity that he's forced to let her go. Roy staggers to his feet and grabs his bow, but Cheshire was expecting that. Once she’s on her feet, she kicks him square in the throat so he chokes and recoils. 

While he gasps for air, Cheshire grabs his bow. Roy knows that if he goes hand-to-hand with her, he’ll lose, so he’s unable to do anything but watch as she swiftly breaks the bow over her knee. He doesn’t have an equipment cache anywhere in the city and he’s been traveling light, so he doesn’t have a backup bow on him. Athens is now rendered a total bust. 

If he was a vindictive type of person, he would seriously have it out for her right now. Thankfully, his morals haven’t completely abandoned him just yet. 

“This has been fun,” Cheshire simpers, completely oblivious to his anger. “But I’m afraid I have other plans.” 

She turns her back to him, sauntering away as if she hadn’t just rendered him completely immobile. Roy stumbles to his feet, breathing hard. “What do you want from me?” he asks, his voice raspy. 

Cheshire pauses. She turns back to look at him, the white of her mask glowing in the moonlight. “I think you know what I want.” 

_“I think you know what I’m after.”_

_“I do actually. Do you?”_

The memory returns to Roy suddenly, like a hot flash through his brain. Much of his memories of the past six months are scrambled, foggy, lost between what he was programmed to do and things he did of his own volition. He remembers now. She was there, with Sportsmaster, his former handler. Taipei. 

She knew. 

By the time Roy realizes it, Cheshire is gone. 

Despite his better judgement, he sinks down on the roof and sits. Cheshire knows about him. If she knows about him, she must know about Speedy. Or at least, how to find him. That certainly changes things.

For the better part of the past two years, he went about it the right way, using all of the League’s resources to try and find his original. Dick, Wally, Jim, Kaldur, Ollie and Dinah… they all tried. He narrows his eyes and grasps at his hair with one hand. Maybe it’s time he stopped thinking like a hero. 

If he wants to get closer to the real Roy, he’ll have to use the resources of the people that kidnapped him. The Light. He balls his fist. Speedy must be suffering in their hands, and he’s wasted enough time on his own trying to get to him. Red Arrow would never be able to get close to the light… but Cheshire, a Shadow? She might know. Better yet, she might be able to bring him closer. 

Roy picks himself up off the roof, grimacing at the pain in his chest. Exhaustion rolls over him in waves, fighting a loud battle with his injuries. He’s pretty sure a couple of his ribs are cracked, if not broken. There will be bruises on his throat in the morning. Maybe he should have taken up Ollie’s invitation to come back home for the holidays and rest. He wonders if it’s too late. 

No. He can’t afford to think like that. If he needs a break to recover and get supplies, fine. But he won’t let himself go home, not to Speedy’s life. He can’t take another holiday away from him. Not when he’s still out there. 

Roy knows what he has to do now. The next time he sees Cheshire, he’ll go along with her games. He won’t fight her. She has to know something he doesn’t, and morals be damned, finding Speedy takes priority over any discomfort he has. 

He has to keep trying to find him. 

No matter the cost. 

* * *

_Athens  
_ _December 25, 20:02 EET_

_Tracking Luthor's operations have led me here. Feel like I'm close to uncovering something big—maybe something that could lead me to Roy—but Cheshire keeps getting in my way. Can't fathom why that woman works so hard at thwarting me, except that it seems to give her some kind of perverse pleasure..._

_But that pleasure may be the key. I'm beginning to think she's my best hope for infiltrating the League of Shadows and getting closer to the so-called Light. Next encounter—I'm throwing the fight._

_Oh, and Merry Christmas, Roy. I'm getting closer, I swear._


End file.
